Fatigue

In materials science, fatigue is the progressive and localised structural damage that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic loading. Fatigue (also called exhaustion, lethargy, languidness, languor, lassitude, and listlessness) is a state of awareness describing a range of afflictions, usually associated with physical and/or mental weakness, though varying from a general state of lethargy to a specific work-induced burning sensation within one’s muscles. Physical fatigue is the inability to continue functioning at the level of one’s normal abilities. It is widespread in everyday life, but usually becomes particularly noticeable during heavy exercise. Mental fatigue, on the other hand, rather manifests in somnolence (sleepiness). Fatigue is considered a symptom, as opposed to a medical sign, because it is reported by the patient instead of being observed by others. Fatigue and ‘feelings of fatigue’ are often confused.

So that is what it actually is, but it manifests itself in many strange ways in the human psych. When you are in a state of fatigue you are said to be tired of something, but is that because of its importance or lack of it? That may sound like a daft question to ask but if you consider value (or lack of it) by availability then it sort of makes sense. I’ll explain …

If you were to have a food restriction of say one orange a day, then the perceived value of that orange would be fairly high. But if you had access to a whole room of food everyday, then the orange’s value diminishes, but it is still the same orange.

I learned the hard way that people are not valued because of their usefulness or their looks. They have their own intrinsic value which, if you aren’t looking for, can easily pass you by (especially if you are tired). It is easy to get tired of someone or something’s difficult behaviour but it doesn’t modify their value, nor should it. This is especially important to understand if the person you are looking at has no concept of their own value. So, all in all, fatigue has a lot to answer for. However, the clever money is on understanding how valuable the person standing in front of you is, as you never quite realise that until they are gone.